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Chukwueze fires blank as Villarreal suffer shock defeat at relegation-threatened Cadiz

Damola Ogungbe 18:33 - 20 March 2022

Samuel Chukwueze (IMAGOPressinphoto) (2)

Samuel Chukwueze had no shots on or off target against 17th-placed Cadiz before being hauled off in the 71st minute

Super Eagles forward Samuel Chukwueze was on the losing side on Sunday evening as his Villarreal side lost 1-0 away to Cadiz.

Relegation-threatened Cadiz climbed to 17th on the log after Ruben Sobrino scored a 91st-minute goal to take all three points at the Ramon de Carranza Stadium.

Ruben Sobrino Cadiz (IMAGO/Pressinphoto)

Ruben Sobrino's match-winner was his first goal of the season after coming on as a second-half substitute for Cadiz (IMAGO/Pressinphoto)

The Yellow Submarines' shock defeat follows an impressive midweek 3-0 victory over Italian giants Juventus during which Villarreal secured a last-eight spot in the UEFA Champions League.

Chukwueze fails to deliver on rare start for Villarreal

Chukwueze notched his sixth league start of the season against Cadiz, lining up alongside on the right-wing behind Giovani Lo Celso and Boulaye Dia in attack.

The Super Eagles winger had a quiet game, forcing only 37 touches on the ball and distributing 16 accurate passes.

Chukwueze starred as Villlareal shocked Juventus in the round of 16

Chukwueze starred in Villarreal's shock defeat of Juventus in the UEFA Champions League Round-of-16 return leg

The silky winger completed only two (2) of his five (5) attempted dribbles and lost possession 11 times as nothing seemed to stick for the Villarreal man.

Before making way for Yeremy Pino in the 71st minute, Chukwueze failed to put in any successful crosses as well as fire blanks with zero shots on or off target.

Chukwueze facing competition for Super Eagles starting spot

Chukwueze will be hoping for better luck with the Super Eagles of Nigeria as the 22-year-old links up with the national team for a crucial two-legged World Cup Qualifier against the Black Stars of Ghana.

Samuel Chukwueze (L) set Nigeria on their way to a comfortable win over Sudan at AFCON 2021

The Villarreal winger faces stiff competition for his starting spot in the national team with the availability of Watford's Emmanuel Dennis possibly tempting Nigeria's interim manager Augustine Eguavoen to go with a more direct front three.

The Super Eagles travel to Kumasi, Ghana for the first leg of the encounter scheduled for Friday, March 25 before returning to the Moshood Abiola Stadium Abuja for the return leg on Tuesday, March 29.